Game apparatus.



A. REIBSTEIN.

GAME APPARATUS.

ATION APPL l 1.1911. 1,018,343. Patented Feb.20,1912.

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ATTORNEYS A. REIBSTEIN.

GAME APPARATUS. y APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31. 1911.

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Jlgww'fiea'i BY W6 g ATTORNEYS coLuMulA l-LANOGRAI'H Cu.. 'Asl nNaToN. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST REIBSTEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. .Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST REIBSTEIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved game apparatus, which I prefer to call gun billiards, and arranged to require considerable skill in successfully playing t-he game, and to afford amusement to the players and onlookers. For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a continually moving ball carrier having spaced supporting means for supporting balls carried past the muzzle of a manually-controlled gun, for knocking off the balls from the carrier onto a countingtable having retaining means for the ball.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the game apparatus; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal central section of the gun; Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view partly in section of part of the ball carrier and the ball support; and Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the driving mechanism for the ball carrier.

On a supporting structure A are mounted a series of tables B, B, B2 and B3, each provided with a rim B4, and recesses B5 for retaining a ball C. The ball C is carried on a cup-shaped support D having a shank D screwed or otherwise fastened to a pin E projecting upwardly from one of the links of an endless chain E mounted to travel in a suitable guideway A forming part of the supporting structure A. A motor F, of any approved construction, preferably an electric motor, is employed for imparting a continuous traveling motion to the endless chain E, and for this purpose the motor F is provided on its shaft F with a gear wheel F2 (see Fig. 5) engaging the links of the chain E, so as to impart a traveling motion to the same.

The guideway A and the endless chain E are so arranged that the balls C held on the supports D are carried past the front of the Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 31, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

serial No. 605,771.

tables B, B', B2, B3, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1, and on the front of the support-ing structure A are mounted manually-controlled guns G for shooting' off a ball C as the latter is carried past the muzzle end of the gun G, so that the ball flies onto the corresponding table and finally comes to a rest on one of the retaining recesses B5. It is understood that a ball C fired onto a table B, B, B2 or B3 may strike the rim B4 so as to be deflected by the same and thus the ball may travel over the table in different directions until it finally comes to rest in one of the recesses B5. The recesses B5 are preferably differently numbered as shown so as to score more or less for the player succeeding in locating the ball in a recess having a higher or a lower value.

Each of the guns G is provided with a barrel G having a pivot G2 engaging a bearing H attached to the supporting structure A at the front thereof, the arrangement being such that the aXes o-f the several guns G are arranged in a horizontal plane extending approximately through the centers of the balls C carried by the cups D of the endless chain carrier.

By mounting the guns G so as to swing the player can take proper aim at an approaching ball C so as to knock this ball off its support D onto the corresponding table for scoring purposes.

The barrel- G is preferably provided in its bore with two aXially-alined plungers I and J, of which the plunger I is the shooting plunger and the plunger J the actuating plunger for actuating the shooting plunger I. The plungers I and J are pressed on by springs K and L, and the forward end of the plunger I is provided with a head I having a filling I2 of leather, wood or other suitable material adapted to strike the ball C when firing the gun, the head being provided on its inner face with a disk I3 of fibrous or other suitable material. The plunger I is mounted to slide in suitable bearings G3 arranged in the barrel G, and the plunger J is mounted to slide in bearings G4 likewise arranged in the bore of the barrel G. The rear outer end of the plunger J is provided with a handle J under the control of the player, so that when the handle J is pulled rearwardly the spring L is compressed, and when the operator releases the handle J then the spring L propels the plunger J forward, and in doing so pushes the plunger I outward against the tension of the spring K so that the head l of the plunger l meets the ball C and knocks the same off the cup D onto the corresponding table B, B, B2 or B3. The spring K is considerably lighter than the spring L so that the plunger can be readily forced out by the action of the plunger J, and the plunger l is returned to its normal position by its spring K. A buffer N is preferably placed between the adjacentI inner ends of the plunger l and J, and this buffer ll is held on the freeV end of a spring N attached to the pivot G2 of the barrel G, as plainly plainly indicated in Fig. 3.

rllhe tables B and B are spaced apart and likewise the tables B2, B3, so that attendants can be stationed in the spaces between the said tables, each attendant attending to the adjacent tables in removing balls therefrom and placing the same onto the empty cups l) at the rear end of the table.

A number of players can make use of the apparatus at the same time, each manipulating the corresponding gun Gf so as to shoot off a ball C as the same is carried past the muzzle end of the gun.

It is understood that a skilful player may manipulate the gun Gr in such a manner that the ball can be directed into any one of the retaining recesses B5 desired by the player.

Having thus described my invention, claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A game apparatus, comprising a supporting structure, having an endless guide- Way, a series of tables supported Within the structure and having ball receiving recesses, the intermediate tables being adjacent to each other and spaced from the other tables, an endless chain mounted to travel in the guideway, cup-shaped ball supports carried by said chain, a motor mounted on the structure and operating thechain, and guns mounted on the structure.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a supporting structure, a series of tables arranged Within the said structure and having ball receiving recesses, an endless chain mounted to travel on the said structure beloviT and around the said tables, the chain having spaced cup-shaped supports extending above the tables, guns sWiveled on the said structure to swing in a horizontal plane, the axes of the guns being in a plane extending through the centers of the said balls, and a motor mounted on the structure and geared With the said endless chain to impart a continuous traveling motion to the same.

3. A game apparatus, comprising a supporting structure having a plurality of tables arranged thereon and a guideivay surrounding the tables, an endless chain mounted to travel in the guideivay, cupshaped ball supports mounted on the chain and extending above the table, a motor mounted on the structure, and a gear Wheel on the shaft of the motor and engaging the links of the said chain to impart a traveling motion thereto.

Il. In a game apparatus, a table supporting structure having an endless guideWay, an endless chain mounted on the structure and having sundry of its links provided with pins, cup-shape ball supports detachably secured to the pins of the chain and traveling in the said guideivay, and means for operating the endless chain.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specilication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

AUGUST' REIBSTEIN.

`Witnesses Timo. G. Hosrna, P. D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

